Late summer reaps bushels of peppers in a kaleidoscope of colors and a crooked assortment of wiggly shapes. I shop with my eyes, because the first thing I do when I get home is pile my peppers into a bowl, where they do double-duty as a decorative centerpiece on the kitchen table before they are transformed into a meal. Gnarly Jimmy Nardellos, pristine cherries, waxen poblanos and pert jalapenos vie for my attention, and I slowly pick away at my psychedelic pile of peppers as I cook throughout the week, adding them to salads, stews, pasta and pizzas.

This simple recipe showcases a colorful assortment of peppers on crostini and makes a great starter to a meal or an appetizer for a grill party. I like to use a mix of sweet and hot peppers for more a complex flavor and a nudge of heat. When you are using hot peppers, such as poblanos, serranos and jalapenos, remember that they can vary in heat, so take a small bite to test their strength. The heat is concentrated in the ribs and seeds of the pepper, so remove as much as desired with kitchen gloves or the tip of a paring knife to protect your fingers from the oils. In this recipe I used poblanos, Hungarian pimentos and gypsy peppers.

Hot and Sweet Pepper Medley Crostini

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Yield: Makes 8 crostini

Crostini:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced

Pinch of salt

8 slices baguette, cut on the diagonal, about 1/2-inch thick

Topping:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish

3/4 pound mixed sweet and hot peppers, stemmed and seeded, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for garnish

8 ounces buffalo mozzarella, halved and thinly sliced

1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Make the crostini: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the oil, garlic and salt in a small bowl. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and lightly brush each side with the oil. Transfer to the oven and bake until the bread is lightly toasted, 12 to 15 minutes, turning once. Remove the bread from the oven.

Prepare the topping: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the peppers and saute until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, salt and black pepper and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven broiler.

Arrange the mozzarella slices over each crostino. Top each crostino with some of the peppers. Transfer to the top rack in the oven and broil until the cheese begins to melt, about 1 minute. Remove and garnish with fresh basil and a drizzle of oil. Serve immediately.

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If you're like me, it's impossible to resist the baskets of fresh summer berries at the farmers market. If you have more restraint than me, and you haven't gobbled up your berries yet, here's a great way to add them to a dessert. Clafoutis (clah-FOO-tee) is a French flanlike dessert. It's light, elegant and studded with fruit baked in lightly sweetened egg batter. It's also a perfect recipe for lazy cooks because it can be whipped up with little effort in less than an hour with a simple list of ingredients.

So when berries are in season (like now!) I load up on blueberries, blackberries and raspberries at my farmers market and head home with my stash. Naturally, a good amount is devoured on the spot and during the car ride home, but I always make sure there is enough left over to make a clafoutis.

You can get creative with how you present the dish. It can be baked in a tart or shallow gratin dish, as well as individual ramekins or mini cast-iron skillets, which are a fun way to serve dessert for a dinner party. If you are feeling extra festive, you can even prepare little tastes in Asian soup spoons for a dessert-inspired party bite.

The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the vessel you use, so simply bake the clafoutis until the top is tinged golden and the custard is set. This can take up to 45 minutes for a tart, 25 minutes for ramekins or about 12 minutes for little (ovenproof) serving spoons. And feel free to mix and match your berries. This recipe uses a combination of blueberries and blackberries. Raspberries and cherries are also delicious.

Black and Blueberry Clafoutis

Active time: 15 minutes

Total time: 40 to 55 minutes

Yield: Makes 6 (6-ounce) or 1 (10-inch) clafoutis

Unsalted softened butter for greasing the pans

1 tablespoon plus 1/3 cup sugar

6 ounces fresh blueberries

6 ounces fresh blackberries

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/4 cups half-and-half

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 6 (6-ounce) shallow ramekins or 1 (10-inch) ceramic tart pan. Sprinkle the ramekins with 1 tablespoon sugar and tap out any excess. Place the ramekins on a baking tray. Arrange the berries in one layer in the ramekins.

Beat the eggs and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. On low speed, mix in the half-and-half, flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract, almond extract and salt until just combined.

Pour the mixture over the fruit. Transfer the clafoutis to the oven and bake until the top is tinged golden-brown and the custard is set, 25 to 30 minutes for the ramekins (or 40 to 45 minutes for the tart pan). Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.

Before serving, sprinkle the clafoutis with powdered sugar and garnish with additional lemon zest. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

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Weekends are made for grilling, and this weekend was no different. California halibut is in season, and while halibut's firm flesh is ideal for roasting thick filets on the grill, I prefer to cut the fish into chunks, quickly marinate them and thread them on skewers. By doing this, more of the fish flesh is exposed to the flavors of the marinade, and there are more edges and corners exposed to the flames of the grill to crisp and char (which are the best bits). I like to thread the fish with vegetables, such as colorful bell peppers and onion. The vegetables add flavor to the fish and bright color and freshness to the skewers -- plus they are a great way to stretch pricey fish to feed a crowd.

The key to these skewers is the marinade, which has an unlikely ingredient: coarsely grated yellow onion. The onion pulp and juices add natural sweetness and bite to the marinade and nicely balance its salt and acid. Any thick, firm flesh fish, such as halibut, tuna or swordfish, can handle a longer marinating time, upward of 2 hours, but 30 minutes to 1 hour is sufficient to infuse flavor.

When assembling skewers, make sure all the ingredients are cut in uniform size, 1 to 1 1/4 inches, including any vegetables that may be threaded along with the fish, to ensure even cooking. Bamboo skewers should be soaked in warm water for at least 30 minutes before assembling. This will help to prevent them from burning while grilling.

Grilled Halibut and Vegetable Skewers

Active time: 20 minutes

Total time: 1 hour for marinating plus 20 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients for marinade:

1/4 cup coarsely grated yellow onion with juices, about 1/2 small onion

1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Ingredients for skewers:

2 pounds halibut, cut in 1-inch chunks

2 red, yellow and/or green bell peppers, seeded, cut in 1-inch chunks

1 large red onion, cut in 1-inch chunks

Parsley sprigs for garnish (optional)

Lemon wedges for serving

Whisk the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add the halibut chunks and gently turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

While the halibut is marinating, soak 8 (8-inch) bamboo skewers in warm water for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium-high heat. Thread the fish on the skewers, beginning and ending with the halibut and alternating with onions and peppers. Lightly brush the vegetables with some of the marinade.

Grill the skewers over direct medium heat, until the fish is charred in places and just cooked through, about 8 minutes, turning as needed. Arrange the skewers on a serving platter, garnish with parsley sprigs and serve warm with lemon wedges.

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